'COMMENTARY' DEBATE: USA TODAY received quite a bit of reader feedback to Christine Brennan's take-no-prisoners commentary about Lance Armstrong that ran on the front page of Wednesday's print edition.

For an occasional peek inside the USA TODAY newsroom, here are excerpts from Executive Editor David Colton's daily note to the staff, including internal assessments of recent work and trends:

CONVERSATION STARTERS: Plastic water bottles have replaced water coolers at most offices these days, but USA TODAY still likes to spark conversations. We used to call them "talkers,'' or later, "I saw it in USA TODAY.''

Whatever the name, any story that provokes discussion is a good thing, we think.

So it wasn't a surprise that we received quite a bit of reader feedback to USA TODAY Sports columnist Christine Brennan's take-no-prisoners commentary about Lance Armstrong that ran on the front page of Wednesday's print edition. Armstrong, she wrote, is "nothing short of pathetic in defeat.''

Although clearly marked "COMMENTARY,'' the prominent 1A placement upset some readers. Among comments we received:

"To place a commentary, regardless of it being labeled as such, on your front page is misleading. Put news on the front page," wrote Peter Zangardi of Collegeville, Pa.

"I am no Lance Armstrong apologist, but the front page article and opinion was a mean, hatchet job with an apparent personal bias against that individual. That is truly not what I expect from USA TODAY,'' said Sharon Williams of Miami.

"Should have been in the Opinion page. Whatever happened to unbiased reporting?" complained reader Tom Dreyer.

"As usual, the media makes mountains out of little issues. Good grief, the guy rode bicycles, not led the world in revolt!'' said Ray Burnett of Brainerd, Minn.

"I don't disagree with Brennan's opinion, but in a reputable news source, commentaries belong in editorials or the Opinion page, not on the front page,'' said Makeesha Collins.

As you can see, Christine's Page One commentary provoked quite a reaction. We are sensitive to that, even though columnists are routinely carried on the front pages of many newspapers (not to mention the fronts of almost every newspaper's sports section).

Columnists are increasingly becoming part of the USA TODAY "mix." In addition to Christine, longtime writers such as Craig Wilson, Matt Krantz, John Waggoner, Ed Baig, Robert Bianco, Jefferson Graham, Jarrett Bell and others have been joined by columnists Michael Wolff, Rem Rieder, John Shinal and recently Rodney Brooks (a top Money editor who will also be writing about retirement for our Boomer readers).

So here's how we responded to many of those reader complaints:

We agree that running a columnist on the front page was a departure for USA TODAY. But the Armstrong case was a unique circumstance — the admission of lying after years of denial, and reaction from a respected columnist who had followed the case for years. We opted to clearly label the column as "COMMENTARY'' and let readers decide whether they agreed or disagreed with her viewpoint.

Plus, that same day we also gave readers strong news coverage by Sports reporter Brent Schrotenboer, who has been miles ahead on key elements of the Armstrong apology.

We're keenly aware of the trust readers have in USA TODAY's even-handed approach to the news. But we also, more than ever in this new digital world, want to spark a national conversation. On occasions where a columnist's opinion, clearly marked as opinion, can help do that, we think it can be appropriate, even preferable, to run it in a more prominent position. And this one certainly did spark conversation, earning its place on Page One.

And if our stand on this starts yet another conversation, even better.

GUNPLAY: Rarely has a shooting incident provoked the kind of national debate that continues in the wake of the school killings in Newtown, Conn. USA TODAY's news coverage, our editorial page and our online footprint have been a major sounding board for that debate almost every day since the December tragedy.

Our most recent example: The state-by-state rundown by USA TODAY and our Gannett partners on Tuesday found 11 states considering new gun laws, eight states focusing on school safety and seven states considering mental health proposals. And readers could read exactly what was happening – or in most cases, not happening – for their state in print and online.

50-state look at gun law proposals(Photo: USA TODAY)

In these days of data on demand, 50-state or county-by-county lists are more readily accessible than ever. But this 50-state report took a more retro approach: Reporters on phones, e-mails to officials, checking legislative calendars and chasing down aides in governors' offices. More than 60 staffers here at USA TODAY and at numerous Gannett sites helped compile and display the information. Another example of cooperation in the Gannett *Universe that serves our readers.

OTHER GOOD STUFF: Kelly Kennedy got a nice scoop (picked up by Kaiser and others), on HHS plans to enroll the uninsured. ... Michael Hiestand talked with Hannah Storm about her return to ESPN after her propane grill burns.

Korina Lopez filed a detailed report from the Kids Inaugural Concert on Saturday. Despite the star power, by 9 p.m. "bedtime'' was taking over many of the parents and their children. …Susan Davis wrote about the lack of entrenched incumbents in the 113th Congress.… and Adam Shell wondered why the slow and steady bull market "gets no respect.''